Abstract

Introduction: Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder defined by unexpected and repeated
episodes of intense fear, a sense of loss of control and impending doom, followed by intensive
physical symptoms. In addition to anxiety sensitivity, or the fear of the threatening
consequences of anxiety symptoms, one particular cognitive factor seems to contribute to
reinforcing panic symptomatology. This refers to looming cognitive style - a stable and
generalized tendency of creating dynamic perceptions and mental scenarios of threat rapidly
rising in risk through time and space. On the other hand, it appears necessary to examine in
more detail the role of time perception in panic disorder. This construct represents a mechanism
presumably dependent on the interaction of attention and arousal, potentially associated with
trait measures important for the etiology of panic disorder.
Aim and methodology: The aim of this study was to explore the basic assumptions of the
expansion the cognitive model of panic disorder, which combines factors of anxiety sensitivity,
looming cognitive style, experience of stress and time perception in individuals with panic
disorder. The research sample consisted of clinical group participants with panic disorder (N =
30) as well as the participants in the comparison group (N = 30). The research problems were
explored via quasi-experimental design that included measures of physiological activity and
subjective arousal and time estimates during relaxation, anticipation and stress. Furthermore,
we explored the relationship between trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity and looming cognitive
style and measures of physiological and subjective arousal and experience of time against
experimental situations and group membership.
Results: In comparison to relaxation, individuals with panic disorder tend to react with a more
intensive heart rate activity and skin conductance level in response to stressor. Stress is
percieved as subjectively more unsettling and arousing experience by panic disorder
individuals. Time perception seems to slow down during stress in comparison to relaxation and
is relatd to anxiety sensitivity in individuals with panic disorder. Moreover, time spent in the
situation of stress is shorter for individuals with this disorder. The perception of subjective
change in stress arousal is related to looming cognitive style, as well as psysical and social
looming subscales in panic disorder. In the comparison group, this measure of subjective
arousal is related only to intensities in measures of physical looming. In general, anxiety
sensitivity, trait anxiety and looming cognitive style appear to predict changes in heart rate
activity in response to stress.
Conclusion: Individuals with panic disorder appear to be somewhat physiologically and
subjectively more reactive in response to a stressor. Anxiety sensitivity contributes to the
experience of slower time passage during stress in panic disorder. Looming cognitive style
contributes to cognitive assessments of more intense stress arousal changes. There are some
indications of the possible contribution of cognitive factors to the intensities of physiological
stress responses. The results highlight the need to consider the role of distortions in the
perception of the dynamics of physiological and subjective stress arousal in the formation,
intensification and maintenance of panic disorder.